| Date: June 1, 1924 |
Survivors: none |
Fatalities: serz. Peteris Abrams, Augusts Bakmanis |
Aircraft Involved: Savoia S.16 #4 |
Location: near Liepaja lighthouse |
Details:
- The mission was to distribute flyers/leaflets from the air, announcing
the Air Show scheduled for Liepaja.
- They were flying near the Liepaja lighthouse at an altitude of about 150-200 metres when the engine stopped.
The pilot turned too sharply (to get over water for a forced landing) and
the aircraft lost airspeed, striking the ground about 200 metres from the ocean.
It is speculated that the engine may have stopped because it became somehow clogged
by a leaflet. It was also noted that ordinarily, when flying over land, the
floatplane is supposed to be at an altitude of at least 800 metres. However,
that would be too high to distribute the leaflets efficiently, so they were
flying at a height which did not give them the opportunity to glide to the
water and safety.
- After this accident the S.16s were grounded for awhile and were inspected thoroughly.
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